Black Friday is only one week away now, and if you're thinking of going shopping on November 26, you better be prepared. One of the easy ways to keep yourself updated and informed about all the steals and deals while out on the road are some mobile apps dedicated to all that is Black Friday.

First and foremost, all of the apps mentioned here are free and ready to download. While you might be saving big on Black Friday, there's no reason to spend any more money on an app dedicated to one day out of the year.

Unfortunately but obviously, most of these apps share similar names, so here's a small breakdown on some of the most helpful for the iPhone/iPod touch and Android-based devices:

BlackFriday.fm (iPhone and Android): Along with a news feed and leaked ads delivered in real time, this app breaks deals down by stores and product categories.

Black Friday Ads (iPhone): Users can view deals from specific stores in a list or grid view with images. This app also lets users view product ads in PDF or image formats as well as support for sharing deals on Facebook and Twitter.

Black Friday App (iPhone): This app also allows for sharing on social networking sites and a shopping list feature. But you can also connect directly to retailers' sites when you spot a good deal.

GottaDeal.com (iPhone and Android): Also compatible with the iPad, GottaDeal will keep you updated about sales and specials year-round. Users will also get direct access to the site's message boards, and this mobile app happens to be a lot cleaner and easier to navigate than most others.

TGI Black Friday (iPhone): Along with downloadable PDF ad scans, users will find a useful Search function that is surprisingly hard to find on most Black Friday apps. Heavier on graphics and color than some of the others on this list, it's also easy to compare products from different stores in the My List function.

BF Deals (iPhone): The most major difference with this one is instant push notifications when ad scans are published, so you should always be up-to-date with this one. You can also spot other users on the map and find out which stores are the most crowded at one time.

Black Friday by Brads Deals (iPhone): This one keeps things simple. It's all about viewing the actual printed store ads. If you don't like or want a lot of extra features, then this is the one for you.

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive based in San Francisco, covering business and enterprise technology for ZDNet, CNET and SmartPlanet.
She has previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish Americ...
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